It’s common for oil production and salt water disposal sites to report incidents of fire and damage from lightning and static discharge, but did you know there are 6 different ways your site can be damaged? From those 6 damage points there are also 6 specific fires and failures that can result from the damage. Learn more by reading through the risks of keeping a site unprotected below.
1. Direct Lightning Strike to Tank Battery Causing a Tank Battery Fire
As strong storms roll through oil producing areas, lightning becomes a big problem. Above every tank battery, there is an accumulation of flammable vapors. When a streamer initiates from the tank battery structure upwards toward a lightning strike, the vapors can ignite causing a fire or even an explosion. LEARN MORE>>
2. Nearby Lightning Strike to Tank Battery Causing Communication & Control Equipment Failure
Lightning strikes don’t only produce fires. They can also cause damage that may not be visible at first. A lightning event can induce voltage and current surge into power and control cables that can damage electrical, electronic, and instrumentation at the facility leaving the operations paralyzed. Direct lightning strikes aren’t the only danger though. An indirect strike can damage equipment by coupling to utility services and entering via ground potential rise. LEARN MORE>>
3. Direct Lightning Strike to Power Transmission Line Causing Electrical & Electronic Equipment Failure
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems use coded signals over communication channels to transmit and receive data to control process equipment. A SCADA tower’s very design, which includes an antenna mounted on a tower, makes them susceptible to a direct lightning strike. A direct strike could wipe out communication equipment or cause damage to the solar battery panel, which is a common problem. LEARN MORE>>
4. Static Discharge at Thief Hatch Causing a Thief Hatch Fire
The simple act of opening your thief hatch can have BIG consequences if the lid and base aren’t properly bonded and grounded. The sudden separation of the thief hatch lid from its base can generate a static discharge and flammable vapors can ignite causing a fire. A fire can result in an entire site loss, but even worse, a static discharge occurring when a pumper opens the thief hatch for maintenance could result in major physical injuries. Read more about how Petro Guardian protects against thief hatch fires. LEARN MORE>>
5. Static Discharge within Fiberglass Tanks Causing a Fiberglass Tank Fire
Static is another problem when it comes to fiberglass tanks. A static current discharge can result in a total loss due to a fire. The problem starts when the flow of volatile fluids in and out of an insulated tank generates a static charge that accumulates on the fluid surface and on the walls of the insulated tank. If the flow rate of those liquids isn’t controlled, a static charge can be generated, and all the flammable vapors can ignite inside the tank. Read more about how Petro Guardian protects against fiberglass tank fires. LEARN MORE>>
6. Static Discharge from Oil/Water Hauler to Loadout Causing a Truck Load Out Fire
Maybe the most dangerous scenario for employees is a truckload-out fire! It isn’t just potentially a loss of equipment but could be deadly. When loading and unloading large quantities of flammable fluids, there’s a chance of generating static electricity. That static electricity MUST be grounded properly. Truck operators often carry their own static bonding clamp, but those can be damaged or there could be confusion if grounding stations aren’t available. If static electricity is generated, the chance of a fire is high! Read more about how Petro Guardian protects against truck load-out fires. LEARN MORE>>
